Another look at the Okada ban in Lagos

SIR: One happening that is presently giving the Lagos State authorities truthful overmuch interest and headache is however to efficaciously enforce compliance with the prohibition connected Okada by the operators. As a liable and responsive government, the Lagos has tried to curtail the excesses of Okada operators successful the authorities by regulating their areas of cognition to warrant the information of some the riders and their passengers.

But alternatively than comply with the restrictions, galore of the operators are successful the habits of flouting the bid and engaging the instrumentality enforcement agents successful a moving battle. Even the information that the authorities has adopted the strategy of crushing seized motorbikes is not dissuading the riders from going against the bid connected restrictions.

If 1 views the contented critically, 1 would observe that the operators are not conscionable being stubborn but alternatively driven by hunger and starvation and past decided to support struggling for endurance successful the lack of a suitable replacement that tin fetch instant wealth similar their motorcycle proscription business. If that is the case, the authorities tin present different method of legalising the concern successful the state.

To commencement with, the prohibition successful immoderate parts of Lagos has resulted successful a concern wherever pedestrians are forced to trek agelong distances, sweating and wasting a batch of prime clip connected the road. This not request to beryllium truthful if determination is due information for each since those who bash not ain cars request not beryllium subjected to excessively overmuch stress.

The authorities tin let the cognition of Okada successful immoderate precocious brow places. Laws are made for antheral and not the different mode round. All they volition request to bash is to registry the riders decently and restrict them to their country of operation. For instance, places similar Ikeja, Lagos Island, Surulere, and Lekki tin person their ain unsocial uniforms and registration centres and their commercialized motorcycle operations volition beryllium restricted to those areas.

With specified measure, the concern volition beryllium decently regulated and galore radical volition beryllium employed legally. It volition besides spell a agelong mode to enactment a imperishable halt to the accustomed friction betwixt the authorities and the operators erstwhile and for all. Since each governments beryllium for the communal good, sometimes, it is not indispensable for immoderate authorities to wield the large instrumentality successful dealing with the citizens. Rather, it volition beryllium of immense and communal benefits to some sides if the Lagos authorities tin look into this connection with a presumption to giving it a payment of the doubt
.Jide Oyewusi is coordinator of Ethics Watch International, Lagos.